Halloween 2009

Halloween - 2009

For our 2009 haunt we decided to go with the classic old Hollywood horror
movie theme, "Frankenstein's monster", complete with the mad Doctor
Frankenstein, his hunchbacked assistant Igor, Frankenstein, and the Bride
of Frankenstein.

I kept my costume color palette in shades of gray, black, and white to try
to capture the feel of the old black and white movies of that era.

I experimented with several old out-of-print patterns, using what I thought
were the best parts of each to get the looks I wanted. I modified an apron
pattern for the Doctor's faux leather butcher apron, using brass brads and a
hole punch to finish it. Props included bone saw and pliers and a hand held
pocket recorder with static electricity sounds and the voice of the Doctor
shouting "Alive, alive, it's ALIVE!" periodically.

I actually had a pattern for a "hump" for Igor which was far better than
using an old pillow since it strapped on and stayed in place for the whole
evening. At the last minute I found a site that carried a great looking
distressed prop shovel so Igor could go about his nightly work gathering
body parts for his Master. A new face prosthetic gave Igor just the right
bizarre look I was after.

Once again cars lined up on our cul-de-sac, and once again many would not
get out of their cars. Those who did were in awe of Frankenstein's Monster
who had on the Universal Studios official over-the-head mask, plus five inch
monster boots to add to his own 6'3" height. He was undeniably the biggest
hit. The brave ones usually wanted their picture taken with him.

The Bride of Frankenstein wore the trademark tall black & side-streaked wig,
plus a new face prosthetic with stitching and scars to give her a scarier
look. She walked about with the quick jerky movements of the bride in the
classic "Bride of Frankenstein" movie.

A new cemetery fence was added this year, built with pvc pipe and wood, painted black and finished with skull finials. It was a great addition.

Carved jacko'lanterns were set about the graveyard. I found one template
for a Frankenstein figure carrying his bride - perfect for our theme. This
picture was taken the night before just after carving them.

I ordered a new horror music CD, "Blackthorn Asylum", by one of my favorite
spooky music groups, Nox Arcana. It definitely fit this year's theme.

Next year is already in the works. We picked up some new items the morning
after Halloween when a local seasonal Halloween store had a one day 50%-75%
off all items. We're excited! Come back next year to see the new theme!

Questions? Comments? Send Email to:
costumes@costumebizarre.com